‘The community has been so supportive’: Lincoln community pool receives over 100 donations

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Meadowlane Community Pool has seen better days.

The neighborhood shut it down two years ago, a decision made due to nearly six decades of wear and tear.

Board members Shannon Castillo and Angie Kastl said without this pool, they feel like they’ve lost a pillar of the community.

“It’s been hard,” Kastl said. “We’ve had tons of kids in the neighborhood that would ride their bikes here every day. They’d go to swim team, dive team, come here all afternoon with their friends and families. I met some of my best friends here at the pool, just us raising our kids at the pool every summer. It has been such a hard thing not having the pool. It’s been very important to this community for many, many, many years.”

A series of repairs and clean-ups are needed before the pool can once again become a place for families to beat the heat.

But thanks to the support from the community, the board members told Channel 8 that much-needed work will soon be underway.

“The community has been so supportive of our fundraising, the neighborhood has rallied together and donated,” Castillo said. “We’ve had local businesses do some work around the pool for us. We’ve gotten some grants from the Community Health Endowment and the Dylan Foundation which have been super helpful but we’re still a ways from our goal.”

Castillo said they have received donations from over 100 people, including businesses and foundations.

Although the pool will not open for this upcoming summer season, the neighborhood has high hopes for the future.

“We have a really unique opportunity as a nonprofit to serve the community with this facility in a whole new way,” Castillo said. “We hope to have swim nights for kids with special needs and invite people from all over town to this pool and not just serve this neighborhood like it did in the past.”